“Moving is hard. Saying goodbye to friends is hard. Starting over is hard. In Jill Connett’s The Green Plate, discover how a simple plastic plate begins a friendship, helps friends say farewell, and reminds a family that time should not be wasted to know people and enjoy special times with friends and family. A simple act of hospitality, presenting new neighbors with brownies on a green plate, begins a journey of friendship. That same green plate becomes the farewell gift as friends must separate, a symbol of memories as death comes unexpectedly and encouragement to move on in the life of a military family. The Green Plate offers smiles, tears, and inspiration to begin again wherever and whenever the need arises to start over. Enjoy this tribute to hospitality, the military lifestyle, sacrifices, friendships past, and those to come. Jill Connett is from Talladega, Alabama. She teaches school and supports her husband’s military career wherever she and her family live at the time. She truly loves being a military wife and mother. She has loved traveling to new places and meeting new people among the hardships that come with always starting over. She writes, “Thank you to all of my family and friends who have supported us as we’ve moved from place to place. I’m proud of my husband and what he does, and I’m very blessed to be surrounded with people who share and support our adventurous lifestyle. May we have many more adventures to come.” The Green Plate story helps capture the enormous personal burden American military families are bearing today. Meeting US servicemen and servicewomen in the field and their families back home, I’ve always been humbled by their commitment and strength in the face of very real dangers. Jill Connett gives a revealing window into the joys and sadness of life on the homefront. -Jim Sciutto, Senior Foreign Correspondent, ABC News”

June Walbert is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner with USAA Financial Planning Services. June helps families get financially fit by sharing practical financial guidance on topics such as tackling credit card debt, budgeting and planning for retirement.June’s advice has appeared in U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, The New York Times, The Washington Post, SmartMoney.com, MSNBC.com and Forbes.com. She writes a weekly advice column, “Ask June” on military.com and can be heard on ArmyWifeTalkRadio.com.

In addition to her CFP® designation and membership in the Financial Planning Association, June holds Series 7 and 63 licenses, and the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Central Oklahoma. June has 17 years of military service and serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.